‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ IMAX Sneak Peek: What We Learned From Watching 17 Mins of Marvel’s Space Opera

On Monday night, July 7, Marvel teamed with the folks at IMAX to screen 17 minutes of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ for fans ahead of the film’s August 1 release. Tickets and seating were first come, first served, so you can imagine the turnout, but we were there to take in all the never-before-seen footage. And boy, was there a lot to take in.

While you won’t see the entire 17-minute sneak peek we saw tonight, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: An IMAX 3D First Look’ also included an extended scene and preview, which you can watch in the player above. Directed by James Gunn, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ stars Chris Pratt as the thief-turned-hero Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as assassin Gamora, Dave Bautista as the crazed Drax The Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as the trigger-happy Rocket and Vin Diesel as the tree of few words named Groot, as they band together to stop the villainous plans of Thanos and Ronan The Accuser. It’s one of Marvel’s most ambitious films to date, taking the universe established with ‘The Avengers’ into outer space, and here’s everything we learned from the 17-minute ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: An IMAX 3D First Look.’

Everyone's Out to Get Gamora

While all of the Guardians have their unique talents, one thing is for sure -- Gamora has the most haters.

The major threat to the galaxy is Thanos (remember that smirking villain teased in the post-credits scene of 'The Avengers'?), and Gamora grew up under his tutelage, being groomed and genetically enhanced to become a super-assassin. Up until the events of 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' she was working as an agent for Thanos' right-hand man and the primary villain of the film, Ronan The Accuser (played by Lee Pace). However, she had mended her evil ways and was in the midst of betraying Ronan before she was captured by Nova Corps (basically the galaxy's version of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents) and thrown in space prison (called The Kyln) with all the other soon-to-be Guardians.

Despite her change of heart, everyone still links her to Thanos and Ronan, and has some beef with her ... even Drax!

Her Fight With Nebula Will Be a Must-See

Gamora and the blue-skinned, bald Nebula (Karen Gillan) are referred to as "sisters" in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' by the Nova Corps. Considering that both were also transformed into deadly weapons, and Nebula still works for Thanos and Ronan, their eventual showdown teased in the trailers will be one to watch.

Marvel

Yes, Thanos WILL Appear...

James Gunn has been teasing Thanos' appearance in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' as the puppeteer pulling everyone's strings, popping up in both holographic and physical forms. While we didn't get a look at the hologram version, we did see the back of Thanos' throne on that floating space island seen in 'The Avengers.'

...And He's Connected to Pretty Much Everyone

While Thanos raised Gamora and Nebula, and controls Ronan, he also ruined Drax's life. Before Drax was known as Drax The Destroyer, Thanos wiped out his entire family. We know from his comic book origins that he would eventually sacrifice his human body and be reborn as the revenge-seeking, nearly indestructible Drax. Too bad for Gamora, whom Drax hates for her link to Thanos.

Rocket Is Our Spirit Animal

We all knew Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket, the raccoon-looking, gun-loving alien creature, would be one hilarious sight, and hearing how this little guy's frat-guy mind works is wonderful. But here's a couple things to know:

(1) When he says, "I've got a plan," he's got a pretty stellar plan; (2) when he says "I need that guy's prosthetic leg," he's just doing it to be a dick, despite the seemingly dire circumstances; and (3) don't call him a raccoon, 'cause he's not! He's the subject of a series of illegal experiments. Plus, he doesn't know what a raccoon is.

Groot Is Surprisingly Hilarious

Who knew there were so many ways for Vin Diesel to say, "I am Groot!" Think of this Guardian as Frankenstein -- he's big, he's incredibly strong (able to lift a hulking alien offender with his snaking fingers running through the nostrils), and his intelligence is as diverse and creative as his speech .... just so you know, he can only say "I am Groot." But this all serves to make him a surprisingly comedic effect in most situations, especially when he's mindlessly nibbling on the leaf growing off his shoulder.

Details on Michael Rooker's Yondu

We all knew that 'The Walking Dead' star Michael Rooker would be playing the character Yondu in 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' and we knew that he'd be blue (as confirmed in the new footage), but now we know he'll be leading a team of bandits called The Ravagers, of which Chris Pratt's Star-Lord will be a part in the beginning of the film.

That Orb Is Pretty Devastating

The Tesseract was able to open dimensional gateways, the Aether was able to infect a host with devastating powers, and now this new orb everyone's after in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' looks like it can obliterate entire worlds. When activated, the orb glows purple and has enough power to engulf an entire planet and reduce it to smithereens. The Guardians have their work cut out for them.

Chris Pratt Is the Man (With Abs) of Steel

After Star-Lord is captured, he's hosed down with orange goo and forced to wear some unflattering yellow garb before heading to The Kyln with the other Guardians. Thankfully, we can see all this go down, and if you're a fan of beefed-up studs in boxer briefs, you'll want to touch.

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